U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park, Fla. has authored a letter urging the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney General, and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to take swift action to address the significant number of bomb threats that have been telephoned in to Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) across the nation. Murphy’s letter—which she co-led with House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joseph Crowley of New York—is signed by over 150 Democratic and Republican Members of Congress, in a strong showing of bipartisan support. In addition, the letter has been endorsed by several dozen Jewish organizations throughout the country, including The Jewish Federations of North America, JCC Association of North America, The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, and the Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando.
Murphy’s letter was prompted by the troubling fact that, in the first two months of 2017 alone, there have been 68 incidents targeting 53 JCCs in 26 states, according to JCC Association of North America. A number of JCCs, such as the Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando, have received multiple threats.
“These bomb threats are unacceptable. Federal law enforcement agencies must do everything within their power to punish those responsible for the threats that have already taken place, to prevent future threats from occurring, and to ensure these threats are never converted into action. This letter urges senior federal officials to advise Congress on the steps that are being taken to deter these threats from being made, to identify and prosecute the perpetrators, and to enable JCCs to enhance security measures such as physical barriers and guards,” said Murphy.
“As the letter notes, these phone calls have a severe economic, as well as emotional, impact. JCCs provide a range of educational and community services for Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and families, with a particular focus on children and youth. The individuals who make these calls no doubt recognize that bomb threats can compromise a JCC’s financial future,” added Murphy.
For his part, Chairman Crowley stated: “There are few crimes more vile than threatening children, and these threats against Jewish Community Centers are terrifying our fellow Americans and must stop. The Trump administration, including the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney General, and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, should immediately announce their plans to investigate and stop these threats. I deeply appreciate the hard work of Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy in building bipartisan support for this effort. We must thoroughly investigate these threats.”
The Murphy-Crowley letter received strong support from national and community organizations, many of whom contacted their representatives in Congress to request that they sign the letter.
William Daroff, The Jewish Federations of North America’s senior vice president for public policy, commended the purpose and timeliness of the letter, stating: “While the bomb threats in question have been revealed to be hoaxes, the calls were intended to sow fear and disrupt lives and communities and must be taken seriously. The JCC bomb threats follow a growing record of plots, attempted attacks, and deadly occurrences targeting the Jewish community at home, a rise in anti-Semitic hate groups organizing, and an assessment by the National Counterterrorism Center, FBI and DHS that violent homegrown extremists are prioritizing ‘soft targets’ such as Jewish communal institutions.”
In addition, Stephen P. Seiden, the chairman of JCC Association of North America’s board of directors, stated: “JCC Association of North America applauds this bipartisan effort toward an issue impacting communities across the country, and we are grateful for Rep. Murphy and Rep. Crowley’s leadership. We urge the administration and federal agencies to continue joining us in prioritizing our communities’ safety, and we look forward to seeing the perpetrators brought to justice quickly. The JCC movement has been a part of North America’s landscape for the last century, and as we celebrate our centennial, we draw strength from our mission to enhance not only Jewish life, but community life as a whole.”
Furthermore, Olga Yorish, the executive director of The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, stated: “The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando applauds Rep. Murphy for taking the lead on an issue of critical importance to our community. As the owner/manager of the Maitland Jewish Community Campus, the Federation is fully committed to the safety and security of all who use our campus, and we are pleased that Rep. Murphy and other lawmakers share that commitment.”
Finally, Ronnie Bitman, the president of the board of directors of the Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando, stated: “The Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando is grateful for our representatives coming to our aid in this time of need. Our community center’s roots are strong, having provided for the central Florida community for nearly forty-five years, and now, with the advocacy of our elected leaders, we will remain strong and steadfast in implementing our mission of building community, strengthening family life, and promoting Jewish values.”
The complete text of the letter is as follows:
***
February 22, 2017
The Honorable John F. Kelly
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
The Honorable Jeff Sessions
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
The Honorable James B. Comey
Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20535
Dear Secretary Kelly, Attorney General Sessions, and Director Comey,
We write to express our deep concern regarding the recent spate of anonymous bomb threats made via telephone against Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) across the nation. We urge the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to swiftly assess the situation and to advise Congress on what specific steps are being taken, or will be taken, to deter such threats from being made, to identify and prosecute the perpetrators for violations of federal criminal laws, and to enable JCCs to enhance security measures such as physical barriers and guards, in the event that an individual seeks to act upon these threats.
This is not an idle concern, given that there have been at least three casualty-causing attacks at JCCs or other Jewish institutions in the last two decades—in 2014 at a Kansas JCC, in 2006 at the Jewish Federation of Seattle, and in 1999 at a California JCC. This is a national problem and, as such, it requires a national solution.
In the first two months of 2017 alone, there have been 68 incidents targeting 53 JCCs in 26 states, according to JCC Association of North America. A number of JCCs, such as the Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando, have received multiple threats.
These phone calls have an immediate emotional impact, of course, but they also have an economic impact. JCCs provide a range of educational and community services for Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and families, with a particular focus on children and youth. The individuals who make these calls no doubt recognize that bomb threats, particularly when repeated, can compromise and even destroy a JCC’s financial future.
We urge you to approach this issue with a sense of urgency, and to work in partnership with state and territory governments, local law enforcement officials, JCC Association of North America, individual JCCs, and Jewish community institutions and leaders to address the threat in a holistic manner. We look forward to your response regarding the specific steps being taken to prevent and respond to this threat.
Sincerely,
1. Rep. Stephanie Murphy
2. Rep. Joseph Crowley
3. Rep. Val Demings
4. Rep. Daniel Donovan
5. Rep. Marcy Kaptur
6. Rep. Tim Ryan
7. Rep. Grace Meng
8. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
9. Rep. Steve Cohen
10. Rep. Nydia Velazquez
11. Rep. Alcee Hastings
12. Rep. Juan Vargas
13. Rep. Jimmy Panetta
14. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
15. Rep. Rosa DeLauro
16. Rep. Leonard Lance
17. Rep. John Lewis
18. Rep. John Sarbanes
19. Rep. Paul Tonko
20. Rep. Jim Cooper
21. Rep. Darren Soto
22. Rep. Dwight Evans
23. Rep. Nita Lowey
24. Rep. Jerrold Nadler
25. Rep. Matt Cartwright
26. Rep. John Yarmuth
27. Rep. Kathleen Rice
28. Rep. Pramila Jayapal
29. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick
30. Rep. Charlie Crist
31. Rep. Ted Deutch
32. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
33. Rep. John Delaney
34. Rep. David Joyce
35. Rep. Brian Higgins
36. Rep. Donald McEachin
37. Rep. William Keating
38. Rep. Brenda Lawrence
39. Rep. Betty McCollum
40. Rep. Frederica Wilson
41. Rep. James McGovern
42. Rep. Lois Frankel
43. Rep. Elijah Cummings
44. Rep. Eliot Engel
45. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart
46. Rep. Charlie Dent
47. Rep. Michael Capuano
48. Rep. Claudia Tenney
49. Rep. Alan Lowenthal
50. Rep. Luis Gutierrez
51. Rep. David Cicilline
52. Rep. Thomas Suozzi
53. Rep. Sander Levin
54. Rep. Seth Moulton
55. Rep. Rick Larsen
56. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
57. Rep. Brad Schneider
58. Rep. Jacky Rosen
59. Rep. Jose Serrano
60. Rep. Dina Titus
61. Rep. Tom MacArthur
62. Rep. Carolyn Maloney
63. Rep. Jackie Speier
64. Rep. David Scott
65. Rep. John Conyers
66. Rep. Brendan Boyle
67. Rep. Derek Kilmer
68. Rep. Jan Schakowsky
69. Rep. Blake Farenthold
70. Rep. Eric Swalwell
71. Rep. Bill Pascrell
72. Rep. Suzan DelBene
73. Rep. Patrick Meehan
74. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman
75. Rep. Robin Kelly
76. Rep. Peter Welch
77. Rep. Danny Davis
78. Rep. Donald Beyer
79. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema
80. Rep. Donald Norcross
81. Rep. Bill Johnson
82. Rep. Filemon Vela
83. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger
84. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver
85. Rep. Joe Courtney
86. Rep. Gus Bilirakis
87. Rep. Gerald Connolly
88. Rep. WM Lacy Clay
89. Rep. Ryan Costello
90. Rep. Anna Eshoo
91. Rep. Elizabeth Esty
92. Rep. Diana DeGette
93. Rep. Daniel Lipinski
94. Rep. Kathy Castor
95. Rep. Ted Lieu
96. Rep. John Larson
97. Rep. James Langevin
98. Rep. Jim Himes
99. Rep. Bill Foster
100. Rep. Earl Blumenauer
101. Rep. Keith Ellison
102. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
103. Rep. Jim Bridenstine
104. Rep. Peter Visclovsky
105. Rep. Hank Johnson
106. Rep. Terri Sewell
107. Rep. Salud Carbajal
108. Rep. Joyce Beatty
109. Rep. Dave Trott
110. Rep. John Faso
111. Rep. Robert Brady
112. Rep. Greg Meeks
113. Rep. Mike Thompson
114. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen
115. Rep. Stephen Lynch
116. Rep. Doris Matsui
117. Rep. Julia Brownley
118. Rep. Frank Pallone
119. Rep. Bill Posey
120. Rep. Al Green
121. Rep. Adam Schiff
122. Rep. Josh Gottheimer
123. Rep. Adriano Espaillat
124. Rep. Yvette Clarke
125. Rep. Raul Grijalva
126. Rep. Jamie Raskin
127. Rep. Ron Kind
128. Rep. Marc Veasey
129. Rep. Barbara Lee
130. Rep. Albio Sires
131. Rep. Robert “Bobby” Scott
132. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
133. Rep. Vern Buchanan
134. Rep. Jared Polis
135. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter
136. Rep. Andre Carson
137. Rep. John Katko
138. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
139. Rep. Carlos Curbelo
140. Rep. Sanford Bishop
141. Rep. Frank LoBiondo
142. Rep. Marcia Fudge
143. Rep. Christopher Smith
144. Rep. Ruben Gallego
145. Rep. Peter Roskam
146. Rep. Jared Huffman
147. Rep. James Renacci
148. Rep. Raul Ruiz
149. Rep. Zoe Lofgren
150. Rep. Richard Neal
151. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez
152. Rep. Patrick Tiberi
153. Rep. Joseph Kennedy
154. Rep. Tom O’Halleran
155. Rep. Mia Love
156. Rep. Steve Stivers
157. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham
158. Rep. Gene Green
